


Kent and Bitty, Part 2

by nonuniqueindie (chyeahnursey)



Series: Watch that Half Twist [3]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Gen, Lardo is the best friend a guy could ask for, M/M, Pining, but kind of?, communication problems, like a relationship ish? It's not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-08
Updated: 2017-01-08
Packaged: 2018-09-15 05:42:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9221561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chyeahnursey/pseuds/nonuniqueindie
Summary: Bitty generally thinks he's a pretty calm guy, but honestly, is Kent trying to make him lose it?





	

Bitty stalks over to the speakers and stabs at the 'off' button. 

"Hey, why are you turning off Katy?" Kent yells from the pool. "That's my jam."

"You're from New York, not California," Bitty snaps. "It's old and overplayed and it needs to come off this playlist."

"This is my London playlist, I'm not changing it," Kent protests. 

"Then make a new playlist," Bitty hisses at him before stalking off to the changing room. 

"What the actual fuck?" Kent stares after him. "It's a song."

"He's been a little off all week. Homesick, maybe?" Larissa offers.

"Maybe," Andy says, his eyebrows scrunching together. Kent hauls himself out of the pool and grabs a towel to start drying himself off. Maybe he can get some extra work in at the gym today instead. 

"- what did you do?"

Kent suddenly realizes Andy is talking to him. "What did I do? Dude, nothing! You've been with us all week, come on!" 

"Well Larissa's right, he hasn't been himself lately."

"And that's my fault?" Kent can feel his eyebrows going up. "I'm not that big an asshole."

"Hmm," Andy looks at him appraisingly. 

"Andy, seriously, stop looking at me like that. I didn't do anything! I've been perfectly nice to the guy. He's probably just missing home or having a hard time with a class."

"I'll go talk to him," Larissa says. 

"No, wait," Kent blurts out. "I should talk to him. I'm his partner after all." He drops the towel on the bench and heads for the locker room. 

 

"Larissa, I don't want to talk right now, can you just drop it?" Bitty asks when he hears the footsteps behind him in the locker room. He shoves his bathing suit into his towel and shoves both of them into his bag before pulling his t-shirt over his head. 

"Bitty? Can we talk?" 

Shit. Not Larissa. 

Bitty pauses momentarily, then focuses back on his things. He drops to the bench and pulls his socks on. "I'd really rather not, Kent. I just need to get out of here today. Sorry about the training, I'll do some work on my own this afternoon or something."

"Bitty..." Kent watches him lace up his sneakers. "Come on. This - partnership - is never going to work if we can't talk to each other. What's going on?"

Bitty huffs and zips up his bag. "This partnership? You don't even want me here, Andy's the one who picked me."

"Hey, that's not fair." Kent frowns. "Andy's my best friend. It felt like picking a replacement. That doesn't mean I don't want to dive with you."

"It's not about the diving - oh my lord, whatever, it's not even like it was a thing, this is stupid," Bitty runs his hand through his hair, looking like he wants to pull it out, an expression of pure frustration on his face. "I'm going home." 

"Not until you talk to me," Kent gets between Bitty and the door and doesn't move. 

"What are you going to do, kidnap me?" Bitty's lip pulls up into a sneer. 

"Come on, this is about more than just a song," Kent puts his hands on Bitty's shoulders. "Just talk to me. Please." His voice is soft.

Bitty relaxes into Kent, just a fraction, before he catches himself. Bitty knows he needs to tell Kent something, or he's never going to get out of there. He debates telling him the truth for a half-second before going with a version of the truth. No need to mess this up any more than it already is. 

"It's stupid," he mutters, looking down at the floor. 

"Not if you're upset about it." 

"It's just - a boy." He admits with a wet laugh. "Okay? That stupid song makes me think of this stupid boy and I can't stand hearing it all the time. And on top of that this week is like, the two year anniversary of when I met him." 

"Bits," Kent sighs. "I'm sorry. That sucks. I'll make a new playlist for practices."

"Thanks," Bitty says, still firmly looking at the ground. "I kind of just want to go home and wallow, though."

"Fair enough," Kent replies, and before Bitty knows what's happening, Kent has wrapped his arms around him and pulled him in for a hug. "See you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," Bitty murmurs, trying not to get caught up in the feel of Kent's arms around him. 

 

Kent walks back out to the pool and sits with Larissa and Andy. 

"Everything okay?" Andy asks, bumping his shoulder as Kent sits down.

"Just uh, boy problems. It's the two year anniversary of him meeting a "stupid boy" and apparently that song just..."

"Ah." Andy nodded. 

Larissa looked thoughtful. "I should go see if he wants some froyo. Always good for wallowing."

"I don't know if he wants company right now." Kent warns her.

"Pfft, he likes me a lot more than he likes you, Parson. Don't doubt the friendship." She slings her bag over her shoulder. "See you tomorrow boys. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

"Such trust," Andy says mildly. "Come on Kenny, time to go, you heard the boss."

"Alright, alright, let's go home." 

"You mean my apartment?"

"Well, you do have more food than me, and I'm telling ya, with all this training, I need it." Kent saunters over to the locker room door. "I have your keys, don't even think of trying to leave without me."

Andy looks towards the ceiling. "Why me?" he asks plaintively. 

 

~~~

Bitty drags himself off the couch at the insistent knocking on the front door. He swings the door open to find Larissa there, holding up a bag with frozen yogurt and a mix of toppings.

"Didn't know what you were in the mood for, so I brought everything." She informs him. "Can I come in?" 

Bitty steps aside and lets her in. She heads to the kitchen and starts spreading everything out on the counter. 

"Chocolate and strawberry froyo, chocolate chips, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, frozen fruits, peanuts, Reese's Pieces, M&Ms, oreos," she points to each item, "And a little bit of a literal mixed bag there." She turns and grabs them both bowls out of the cupboard, grabbing an ice cream scoop and a handful of spoons on her way back. "Dig in."

Wordlessly, Bitty builds himself a mountain of froyo and treats on top. Larissa guides him into the living room where she flops on the couch and pats the cushion next to her. He sits down, and she pulls the blanket off the back of the couch and tucks them in. She flips on the Food Network, and neither of them talk while they eat their froyo. 

They're quiet until the episode of Cupcake Wars ends.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She slung her arm around him shoulders, pulling him closer. 

"It's stupid," Bitty whispers.

"Was it something that happened in London?" She can feel him tense up under her arm. "Just, the playlist is from London and Kent said that you said it was two years ago, so..."

"Yeah, it was London." 

"And it's over?"

"It never really started, to be honest," Bitty twists to look her in the eye. "If I tell you, do you promise not to tell anyone?"

"Of course." 

"So, I didn't really know a lot of the swimmers at the time, so the gymnastics team was taking me out to all the parties and stuff. They were determined that I should meet some people, because the place I trained at then was really small and there were only like, 2 other people I knew at the Olympics. And they came with me to all the diving events. So of course I was at the synchro diving with some of the girls, and since Kent and Andy got a medal they knew there would be a party and said we had to go together, and when we got there we started dancing and -" Bitty paused, then the rest of his story burst out of his mouth at top speed, "And I met Kent and we had some drinks together and then he invited me back to his place and we made out in the hallway and then Caitlin found me because Chris was way too drunk and I had to go look after him and I didn't see Kent for the rest of the trip and then when I came to try out with you guys I heard him talking to you and Andy and he didn't even remember me and the whole time at that party they were playing that stupid song and he has it on his playlist and I can't, I just can't listen to it while he's there it's like the worst form of torture that's ever existed and I was so stupid because I thought maybe he had picked me as a possible replacement and maybe he remembered me but I was just so, so wrong but I liked diving with him so much that I couldn't say no and now I'm just stuck with this." He sucks in a breath and avoids looking at her. 

Larissa hmms and brushes her knuckles against the back of his head. 

"I have to tell him, don't I?" Bitty asks. 

"You don't have to do anything," Larissa tells him, "He doesn't remember, so it's your call. If you want to tell him, tell him. If you think it's better that you don't tell him, then don't tell him."

"What do you think I should do?"

She sighs and leans her head on his shoulder. "Bitty, I can't tell you what to do. I don't know if telling him would make you feel better or worse. It has to be your decision, but you don't have to decide right this second."

"Boys are the worst," Bitty grumbles.

"They sure are," Larissa nods in agreement. "Have I ever told you about Shitty?"

"Is that - a thing? Or a person?" Bitty looks startled by the change in subject. 

"He's a person," Larissa laughs. "He's a kayaker. I met him in London. He spends most of the year travelling and training in different places. He's usually home for the holidays, and luckily for me, he hates his family, so we actually have time to hang out."

"Larissa, are you giving me deets?"

"Maybe," she winked at him. 

"I know you are just trying to distract me, but I am very curious so, gimme the deets," Bitty smiled. 

 

~~~

 

The next day, Bitty pulls Kent aside before practice. He sees Larissa guiding Andy away to one of the other offices, and silently thanks her for giving them some privacy. 

"Listen, I wanted to talk to you about yesterday," Bitty says, nervously shifting from foot to foot. 

"Hey, Bitty, don't worry about it, we all have bad days," Kent smiles at him. "Already forgotten. New playlist has been made and everything." 

"No, that's -" Bitty clears his throat. "I mean, thanks, for the playlist, but uh, we still need to talk. The guy that I met, that I sort of told you about?"

"Bits, really, you don't have to explain," Kent squeezes his shoulder in what should be a comforting gesture. Bitty's mouth goes dry.

"It was you," he blurts out, then claps a hand over his mouth. "Oh, oh no, that wasn't how I was going to tell you, I had it all planned out."

Kent's hand drops off his shoulder. "I - what?"

"In London, the party for you and Andy," Bitty looks miserable. "I was out with the gymnastics team because I didn't know a lot of the swimmers yet. We danced together, we had a few drinks, you, um, invited me back to your place." His face is bright red now. "Chris got drunk and Caitlin came to find me and that was the end of that. I saw you at a couple other parties but you never said hi or even acknowledged me so I thought it was just a one-time thing. And then you invited me - well I guess Andy invited me - to come and dive with you and for a second I thought - but then - well..." He takes a step backwards. "I just, um, thought that I should tell you in case you wanted to find a new partner before Rio."

"Tequila," Kent murmurs, his eyes fixed on a point above Bitty's head. "Andy and I did shots with the rowing team after you left. Worst hangover of my life. I thought you were with the gymnastics team?" There's a hint of confusion in his voice. "I dragged Andy out to a bunch of the gymnastic events to see if I could find you again. It never occurred to me that you weren't actually with the team." His eyes refocus on Bitty. "Wait, why would I want to find a new partner before Rio?"

Bitty folds his arms protectively in front of himself. "Um, because it might be awkward?" 

"Wait, wait, did you think that the reason you came here was because I wanted to have sex with you!?" Kent looks horrified. 

"NO! No. I just thought you remembered who I was, that's all," Bitty rushes to assure him. "I didn't think - no." 

"Oh. Okay then."

They stare at each other for a minute before Kent clears his throat and speaks again. "Listen, Bitty, you're one of the best partners I've ever had. And this is really selfish, because what happened was my fault, but do you think we can still dive together? I don't think - I mean, I would hate for that to ruin a good partnership, but if it makes you uncomfortable... I wouldn't ask you to stay."

Bitty bites his lip and looks down at the floor. "It takes two to tango Parse. I don't think it would be fair to put all the blame on you, and I don't think either of us imagined we'd ever be in this situation." Bitty pauses, and Kent holds his breath, afraid of saying anything that could tip his decision one way or the other. "I really like diving with you Kent." 

"Does that mean... you're staying?" 

"I'll stay," Bitty finally looks up and gives Kent a tiny smile. 

Kent doesn't even think, just wraps his arms around Bitty in a hug and smiles into his hair. "I'm glad you're staying. You make me better."

Kent can hear the smile in Bitty's voice as he says, "Well, someone has to."


End file.
